Pepper is a sapphire gem who is 3 and a half years old. She has never laid a soft or mishappen egg in her life. She’s never been egg bound or had any odd egg laying behaviors. She’s molted every year and never been ill. She also lays the smallest, most perfect eggs, mind you she is a large bird; probably 8 lbs.
For the past week she has been off. Not running, isolating, not really eating (will eat some tomatoes, a bit of scratch, some other goodies), but goes to bed with a mostly empty crop. I don’t worry a lot bc she has some extra fat, (she is a large bird). But I will start bringing her mash tonight probably to try to entice her to eat more. She hasnt laid an egg in about a week as well. Her droppings are mostly liquid and tinted yellow. That worries me. Her bottom is messy. Her abdomen isn’t bulgy, maybe a bit fat but definitely not protruding.
I thought maybe she was getting ready to molt because I saw her preen and a neck feather fell out. Then at roost time I ruffled her neck feathers and one fell out. I searched her feathers for mites and noted a few pin feathers on her neck. No mites and no lice on anyone. Although we did have mites at the beginning of this summer.
As this week will start to drag into two weeks, I am beginning to wonder based on her droppings, mostly, if she doesn’t have something reproductive going on, but I don’t want to start an antibiotic unnecessarily. And she just hasn’t had a history of any egg issues pointing to reproductive problems. Although with her breed, I know it wouldn’t be shocking.
I know things get weird right before molting sometimes, too, thought. I guess what I’m asking is how long should I give it before deciding this isn’t molt coming on and starting an antibiotic? I thought by a week she’d surely be dropping more feathers if that was the case but I really haven’t seen but those few.
Pics- it is normal for her comb to flop and be tinted at the end, although it sort of looks like it’s shriveling from one pic to the next:
These droppings didn’t look as yellow, thank goodness
Her today:
Her one week ago:
Her tiny egg with a quarter for reference:
For the past week she has been off. Not running, isolating, not really eating (will eat some tomatoes, a bit of scratch, some other goodies), but goes to bed with a mostly empty crop. I don’t worry a lot bc she has some extra fat, (she is a large bird). But I will start bringing her mash tonight probably to try to entice her to eat more. She hasnt laid an egg in about a week as well. Her droppings are mostly liquid and tinted yellow. That worries me. Her bottom is messy. Her abdomen isn’t bulgy, maybe a bit fat but definitely not protruding.
I thought maybe she was getting ready to molt because I saw her preen and a neck feather fell out. Then at roost time I ruffled her neck feathers and one fell out. I searched her feathers for mites and noted a few pin feathers on her neck. No mites and no lice on anyone. Although we did have mites at the beginning of this summer.
As this week will start to drag into two weeks, I am beginning to wonder based on her droppings, mostly, if she doesn’t have something reproductive going on, but I don’t want to start an antibiotic unnecessarily. And she just hasn’t had a history of any egg issues pointing to reproductive problems. Although with her breed, I know it wouldn’t be shocking.
I know things get weird right before molting sometimes, too, thought. I guess what I’m asking is how long should I give it before deciding this isn’t molt coming on and starting an antibiotic? I thought by a week she’d surely be dropping more feathers if that was the case but I really haven’t seen but those few.
Pics- it is normal for her comb to flop and be tinted at the end, although it sort of looks like it’s shriveling from one pic to the next:
These droppings didn’t look as yellow, thank goodness
Her today:
Her one week ago:
Her tiny egg with a quarter for reference:
